Research Vessel support for the Navy-Funded Cruises on UAF s Research Vessel SIKULIAQ during FY2015
Abstract
ABSTRACT This proposal request is for funding UAF ship operations for two ONR cruises on the R/V Sikuliaq in the 2015 calendar year with operations in the arctic. The day rate for the ship is all-inclusive and includes the Marine Technician costs who will help facilitate shore-side and at-sea logistics as well as function as the primary operator of any vessel-supplied oceanographic instrumentation. The ship is scheduled to operate on a 24 hour a day schedule while at sea. The R/V Sikuliaq is a 262-foot oceanographic research vessel operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The R/V Sikuliaq is a new vessel and was delivered on June 6th, 2014. This will be the first ONR work conducted off of the vessel. The R/V Sikuliaq is operated in accordance with the University National Oceanographic Laboratories System (UNOLS) Research Vessel Safety Standards. The vessel was last inspected by Jamestown Marine Services NSF inspection team in September 2014 and was ultimately declared to be in compliance with required standards. The first cruise is for the support of Dr. Peter WorcesterÕs CANAPE project. This is the first year of a three-year project. The goal of the 2015 CANAPE Pilot Study cruise is to obtain data on acoustic propagation under the ice conditions now prevalent in the deep Arctic. The science will occur in the ice in the Canada Basin to take measurements that are relevant for planning the 2016-2017 CANAPE experiment, which will extend into the northern part of the Canada Basin. For the 2015 CANAPE Pilot Study, a moored Distributed Vertical Line Array (DVLA) acoustic receiver mooring with Hydrophone Modules spanning approximately 60 to 600 m will be deployed for 2Ð3 weeks during July-August near 74¼N, 155¼W. Following deployment of the DVLA, HLF-5 and J15-3 sources will be lowered from shipboard to transmit to the DVLA at ranges from 50 km up to a maximum of about 600 km. The overall goal is to understand the effects of changing Arctic conditions on acoustic propagation and ambient noise. Funds for ship time included in this request are for use in CY2015 only. The second cruise is to support the research of Dr. James Thomson. During his cruise they will be performing shipboard and buoy measurements in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas during the fall of 2015 as part of a large collaborative ONR Department Research Initiative (DRI). The ability of the US scientific community to maintain a leadership role in polar research will be greatly enhanced through the capabilities of the R/V Sikuliaq. Polar research requires specialized logistics and infrastructure, including vessels that can support science safely, efficiently, and effectively in the ice covered waters and rough seas of the high latitudes. High priority research questions with important ramifications for understanding global environmental change and its impacts remain unanswered. Addressing these issues is becoming increasingly important with the accelerating pace of global climate change and the amplification of its impacts in the high latitudes. Simply put, better access to ice-covered regions with a more capable vessel is required to address the most pressing research challenges.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 22, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512584
Entities
People
- Pete Zerr
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Alaska Fairbanks